Biz Jets Outpace Commercial Air Ops
Silicon Valley businesses are slowly, cautiously, putting their
executives and salespeople back into the air in order to meet with
clients or woo new ones. However, many are turning from commercial
airlines to private corporate jets -- their own and, increasingly,
someone else's. While commercial business traffic is off about 20
percent at Mineta San Jose International Airport since the Sept.
11, 2001 terrorist attacks, corporate jet traffic has increased.
Exact local numbers aren't available, but corporate jet traffic was
up 25 percent nationwide in 2003 and locally accounted for nearly
one in every three flights taking off or landing in San Jose. Plans
are already underway to expand or build three new facilities for
corporate jets and thei